Saturday, December 02, 2006

Just finished watching Florida defeat Arkansas as well as Gary Danielson tongue the Gators for two quarters. Sweet Jesus! He went from just tickling the balls to inserting it all the way up Urban's rectum. Yeah, that "comparison chart" was so accurate.

In any event, as usual, the BCS title game will come down to...shit that has nothing to do with football.

You could make a strong case for either Florida or Michigan to play OSU in Glendale. Unfortunately, I think Michigan is really being hurt by having finished their season two weeks ago. Out of mind, out of sight sort of thing.

So, we must wait until tomorrow to find out our fate. I have a feeling, just as the lobbying hurt us in '97, we may come out on the short side of things again. What do folks think?

But wait a munute...Michigan didn't even win their own conference. How can they have a gripe to play for a national title as a "runner-up" in their own conference, a conference which had a very sub-par season.

Michigan is a better team, but did FLA play a significantly tougher schedule? Well, the key problem is no one knows how good WIS is, but MICH will get credit for beating, in all likelihood, the #6 or #7 team in the BCS. Notre Dame was exposed in LA, hurting Michigan there.

FLA finally won a game by ten points, and did beat LSU and TEN (when it still mattered).

Very subjective and arguably ignorant. Florida has played a bitching schedule but Michigan comes in at number 3 in strength of schedule with a near comprable opponent win %. So props to Florida, and I'll give them a slight edge in this regard, but it is not the reason I'd put them number two.

I am curious in seeing how votes change. I'd have no problem with people voting Florida 2 and Michigan 3, even if Michigan was 2 the prior week and not doing anything to warrant being voted down. What I am interested to see is if people vote Michigan 4, 5, or even 6 so they receive less points. I suspect this will happen.

In my honest opinion, I think fo$u would completely destroy Florida. I think Michigan would handle them well too. Other than UM, USC (even though they choked it big time today) is/was the only team that can beat o$u. I think UM has the best shot at beating the Buckeyes. If Flordia gets in over UM, this will be the most boring title game in 10 years (unless of course Florida would pull a miracle out their asses and beat o$u). Down with the BCS!

Perhaps Florida and Michigan fans can do the right thing (no matter who they feel is a better team) and unlike Danielson call the entire schedule a push. They can then argue that the BCS is severely flawed, and support a playoff, or accept that the national championship is a MYTHICAL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP and the best thing about the bowls is creating compelling matchups and a good fan exeperience that a playoff wouldn't capture because only the most wealthy fans could travel to more than 1 game.

This is the worst thing about college football and the worst thing about sports. How a major championship is decided by politics and grandstanding in this day and age is beyond me. It totally turns me off to college football. I love the game on the field, but all this bowl/championship bullshit makes me want to puke.

I would think the computers oddly help us here. Most of the computers have had Michigan ahead of Florida all season. The raw calculations (unless there's too much Billingsley logic in there) should keep us ahead in the computer polls. The Harris Poll is too new to gauge, whereas had the AP remained in the BCS it would have helped us. The coaches poll I think tanks us because coaches will bolt for Florida in a title game and vote Fulmer-like to rig it.

It was disgusting how biased CBS was in favor of Florida. They wouldn't STFU about that pass interference call that was actually correct. Even if it wasn't correct, it was not right how they went on and on about how they disagreed with the call and said that it gave Arkansas an unfair advantage.

Florida never jumped in the polls. The issue never came up. But now that they have finished as a 1 loss team, now people are going to be up in arms. What bullshit! If USC had won, then USC would surely have retained its #2 spot and you can bet your sweet ass that Floriday would have remained #4.

Think about this... if we don't get to go to Glendale, we'll be playing USC in Pasadena. THAT would be a great game. I hate even thinking that we'd be left out, but what if we beat the crap put of USC, and then tOSU kills FL? Man, that would be great for the B10.

You never could have won that game. You needed 8 points in the final minutes to lose by 3. Don't kid yourself, you just plain lost.

And I disagree that the 2 week period hurt UM in the mind of the voters. I think if OSU beat UM today instead of 2 weeks ago the voters would be even more likely to punish UM in the polls and more likely to vote Florida #2.

See, this is my biggest pet peeve this year. The BCS is not who already had a chance and if they should get another one. It is suppose to put the two best teams in the country on the same field to determine the NC. Now, if Florida is truly the #2 best team in the country, then I'm all for them going to Glendale. In fact, I wouldn't mind that as much as I would have if USC would have gone. But don't tell me this "Michigan had its shot" crap. Yes, Mich-tOSU have already played. And still people say Michigan is the second best team in the country. Is it the Big 10's fault that the two best teams are in the same conference this year?

I get the feelings from tOSU fans and to be honest if the we had won I would feel the same way, but if the Buckeyes are so damn good, then they'll just win again come Jan. 8.

And concerning Danielson, he could give lessons on how to give a great blowjob. He'd make a lot of money.

Goat462, UM-USC would be a good game at first glance. But considering they struggled against crappy Pac-10 teams and lost to two unranked teams, I don't know how much of a game it would be. We're not ND.

I'm listening to Lloyd Carr right now on ESPN ... I like that he's reamining quite neutral. He's not even lobbying. The only thing he said with any potential bias is that he hoped Michigan wasn't penalized for not having played the last two weeks ...

Urban Meyer, on the other hand, was a bit more biased. Anyone disagree with me? "You'd think a conference champion would have the chance to go play for the National Championship ..."

The only thing I've found biased so far about Urban Meyer on SportsCenter is his claim that that game was one of the best in football this year. What? That was a sloppy piece of crap game... UF's offense is so sketchy, their starting QB doesn't run goaline plays.

In was a bit shocked by the telephone interviews... I thought Urban Meyer would be crying his eyes out. The most biased things he said was conference champs should play for the championship. While that isn't the mission of the BCS, that's about as 'extreme' as Urban got.

It's pretty obvious that Ohio State and most of their fan base want nothing to do with Michigan in a rematch.

They are smart. They act confident, but they know that they needed to pull an offensive rabbit out of their hat in Columbus. That game was a total aberration. What will they bring out in Glendale. The Pistol formation? Ted Ginn/Wildcat formation? Wishbone?

Tressel will probably drop Big Blue out of his top 25 poll completely. What a shame. OSU will roll over Florida...

Re. Danielson: I've liked him since I was a kid cheering him when he quarterbacked the Lions and I feel he has been a pretty good analyst.

Tonight, however, he was awful. It's not that he said that Florida should go to the championship game--though I disagree, reasonable people can believe the Gators deserve the slot. Rather, it was Danielson's seemingly endless slobbering over Fla. that would have been embarassing if it wasn't so annoying.

Two things really stood out: 1) His ridiculous schedule matchup, taht actually noted Div. I-AA Western Carolina as better than Ball St. and 2) His insistence that "style points" don't matter. True, beating a team 63-10 instead of 42-10 because you keep your first string offense in late into the game and pass until the end constitutes bullshit "style points."

But Gary confuses style points with substance points. Sturggling as Fla. did to beat such monsters as South Carolnia, Florida State, Tennessee, Georgia, and Vanderbilt (almost half their goddamn schedule!) mean something. Yes, the Gators won those games and for that they deserve repsect, credit, and a trip to the Sugar Bowl.

Re. tOSU's view of this: ESPN just showed how Ohio is one of only two or three states outside the SEC that supports Florida's inclusion. I think it would be the same way if Michigan had won in Columbus two weeks ago. A rematch of a close game favors the team that lost and tOSU fans know--as we would--that their team's archrival is a more dangerous team than Florida.

Interesting to hear Tressel weasel-talk about how tough it will be to decide for whom to vote. Are the coaches' votes made public? If so, this will be extremeley interesting.

Finally, to Mattathias, you have the sharpest line of the night:"If USC had won, then USC would surely have retained its #2 spot and you can bet your sweet ass that Floriday would have remained #4."

"... Hmm, would that sound like something that wouldn't drive UM fans crazy? No need to rebut, I just wanted to needle you guys some more"

Hey Buck, maybe when we play on a proper field we wil show who is special and who is not. THat right, how about that, is that needle engouh for you. Punk ass bitches still feel the need to prove that victory to us.

Let's face it. We could not beat Ohio State playing a perfect game while they handed us 3 turnovers. We most likely get crushed in a rematch where they don't hand us the ball over and over. Florida deserves their shot, we had ours and couldn't get it done even with ohio states help.

So if we win then what? another split title? and if they beat us again, like they most likely will, then it is double the humiliation while the rest of the country laughs at us for demanding rematch and failing once again to the sweatervest.

My problem with Florida is that they are in the SEC. I keep hearing the conference is great, but how can you tell if it is any good? Their non-conference schedules were weak.

Florida played Southern Miss, Central Florida, Western Carolina and Florida State. In their defense, they didn’t know FSU would suck.

LSU played Louisiana-Lafayette, Arizona, Tulane and Fresno State.

Arkansas played USC, Utah State, SE Missouri State and Louisiana-Monroe. They were torched by USC.

Auburn played Washington State, Buffalo, Tulane and Arkansas State.

So out of the top 4 teams in the SEC, they played 1 ranked non-conference team, and that team got smoked. There is just no way to judge the quality of that conference relative to the other conferences.

My problem with Florida is that they are in the SEC. I keep hearing the conference is great, but how can you tell if it is any good? Their non-conference schedules were weak.

Florida played Southern Miss, Central Florida, Western Carolina and Florida State. In their defense, they didn’t know FSU would suck.

LSU played Louisiana-Lafayette, Arizona, Tulane and Fresno State.

Arkansas played USC, Utah State, SE Missouri State and Louisiana-Monroe. They were torched by USC.

Auburn played Washington State, Buffalo, Tulane and Arkansas State.

So out of the top 4 teams in the SEC, they played 1 ranked non-conference team, and that team got smoked. There is just no way to judge the quality of that conference relative to the other conferences.

i don't know...actually, i'm enjoying the uncertainty of the whole thing right now. this is the first year that i can honestly say i'm enjoying the bcs. normally i dislike how it fucks with tradition but since it appears that the worst case scenario is a classic michigan-southern california rose bowl on january 1st, i'm feeling rather chipper about the whole deal.

on the one hand, i'd love a rematch with ohio state and one more chance of spoiling troy smith's perfection in big games. i think it'd be a great game and a hell of a way to finish the season if the wolverines won. of course, if ohio state wins then we'll never hear the end of how carr messed up a great season by losing two straight games to the buckeyes. and, like "duh, tressel & troy smith own michigan"...just the thought of that already makes we want to vomit.

and on the other hand, i'd love to get a shot at the trojans since it's not like we don't have a few scores to settle with them. before today i was annoyed that we weren't going to get a crack at one of the good teams in a bowl game (i.e., either ohio state or southern california). now it looking like we'll get one or the other...although i believe that there is still the slim possibility that the rose bowl could actually choose a different opponent for usc since michigan is technically an at large bid.

totally politics as BF said.Any voter knows that tOSU and UM are clearly the best two teams. FLA and ARK looked like a goddamned video game. It really is a shame that this system is designed to make money and screw programs that are deserving for a shot at the NC. It is our turn to get screwed, and while we did have our shot at tOSU (at Cbus), I just feel that comparing losses, which is all you can really do, UM should go to Glendale.

Now I'm completely okay with Michigan going to the NCG over FLA, as if I wasn't before. I am tired of that whiney little bitch Urban Creyer shooting his mouth off about his team. If Michigan goes, then I will love to see that poor sport raise a shit fit. It's not just pathetic; it's downright unprofessional. It's chutzpah in its purest form.

In the middle of writing this, I heard on ESPN that UF's president was saying that if FLA doesn't go to the NCG, the BCS system should be scrapped. "The players should be packing their bags for Glendale right now." How about Mich gets the nod for the NCG, and FLA can go join DI-AA if it's so upset. Fuck them.

Florida better be in the BCS Championship. If you don't win your conference, then you don't belong in the Championship. Both OSU and Mich scheduled that game late to have one of the teams to go. Florida had the toughest schedule and won their Conference.

Why are my posts getting deleted? Are only pro-rematch Michigan fans allowed to post here? If so why don't you put a notice on the front of your site to not bother posting unless you are for the rematch, otherwise your post will be deleted.

Will people please get off the "...won their conferece so deserve to go thing ..."

Like it freakin' matters. The point is to get the two best teams into the title game. It doesn't matter if they're in the same conference or not. The two best teams should play and if that's Florida vs OSU then so be it. But one can argue equally for UM vs OSU...

Define irony. Florida wins the national title in '96 in a REMATCH with a Florida State team that had already beat them at the end of the season.

Oklahoma plays in the national championship after losing in the Big 12 championship game to Kansas State, 38-7.

...and the list goes on. This situation is obviously not a first. Michigan of '06 should not be penalized b/c of Auburn of 2004.

Of all the sudden Gator bandwagoneers on TV, not a single one would have ranked Florida ahead of Michigan if USC had won.

How a team that ends "their" season ranked #2 can be suddenly leap-froged by not one, but two teams is mind-boggling to me.

Finally, I hope the Buckeyes' opponent is not determined by voter fraud. Let the chips fall where they may. Either vote Michigan #2 or Florida #2. It would truly be unjust if teams have to doctor their ballots by dropping Michigan out of the top 10/25 to create a matchup.

Your stuff's getting deleted b/c you're being a dick now. You've said the same thing over and over. Your point's been made. If you want to state your anti-Michigan stuff 50 times, go start your own blog.

I've always said, i wouldn't mind going to Rose Bowl after losing to OSU on the 18th. In fact, the prospect of playing LSU in the Rose Bowl really had me psyched. But now, between the choice of us or Florida I'm really getting agitated. Between the terrible QB play, horrible kickers, Danielson, Urban Meyer, Florida's President, ESPN announcers, and the prospect of people placing UM behind FLA despite believing that the Wolverines are the better team, I'm about ready to vomit.

We did have a common opponent, yes, Vanderbilt. We won by 20. They won by 6. They're touting beating Georgia in a down year for them, FSU and a really down year for them, Kentucky (the team not coached by Tubby Smith), and Alabama who just fired their coach. Are any of those teams significantly better than PSU, Iowa, Minn, or even, yes even, MAC Champ CMU??

God, I can't believe I'm typing all of this. Aagh, we did USC lose. It just makes it hurt even more.

Oh, the past 9 days have been such a cruel prank. Watching everything fall perfectly into place...just one more piece to go...the Hogs are leading!...then...Fish!!! NOOOOOO!!!Arrrghhhh!!!!! Then watching almost everyone on TV jump on Florida's bandwagon...and I had forgotten about Meyer's comment "I would not recognize Michigan as the National Champion..." That FUCK STICK!!!!Florida got a REMATCH 1996!!!!!!This is all jut so cruel.Sigh.

Sorry, surely the commentatorsof the game exaggerated a little, but with one sentence they were definetely right,"Style-Points should NOT decide a National Championship,Championships SHOULD"...and for that,Florida should be in by winning the SEC Championship.

If you ask me (seeing it from far away,because I am from Germany),the BCS System is rediculous!

I would vote for a playoff-system in which each of the conference winners and the best non-conference team would play.The team from the strongest conference plays the winner from the weakest conference in the first round and so on.

You would then only have to rate the strength of the conferences which is by far easier than deciding beetween 12-1 Teams.

the "cold facts" from http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=schlabach_mark&id=2684345

especially the first 5 just do favor Florida..that has nothing to do with "who I like or who I dont like",these are just facts.Just like the fact that Floridas opponents have a win percentage of over .64something which just gives them the hardest schedule from the teams left.

And I agree with people saying,theres no such thing as style points if you play schedules like that.

"I am going out on a limb here by saying that Gary Danielson just might be in favor of giving the nod to Florida."

As a Michigan grad, I was all for having Michigan as #2, until Danielson whipped out that amazing chart. Now, there is no doubt that Florida is #2 (sorry, I just vomited into my mouth, give me a second)

A regular season game in Columbus in front of 100,000 raging alcoholic students (which only facilitated a 3-pt win) is not the same as a game at neutral site in Glendale.

In the NFL, if the Seahawks beat the Broncos today, will there by a rabid public outcry if these teams meet again in the Super Bowl? OF COURSE NOT - for some reason the BCS has caused otherwise logical fans to hold extremely illogical, nonsensical views. Also, it is hilarious that all of these people who were mindlessly praising USC are now mindlessly praising & advocating Florida. Why wasn't anyone talking about Florida until USC lost? Where were all of the head-to-head USC / Florida comparisons?

Take another look at the Florida vs. South Carolina game and tell me how awesome Florida is. Florida would get routed by either Tosu or Michigan.

I don't agree that if you can't win your conference, you shouldn;t play in the NC game, even thoguh many pro-Michigan posters here had that attitude before The Game (though none do now). You guys raised hell for lask of style points coming out of the Swamp, UofF delivered last night. GD did go way-tf overboard last night, but blame the douchebags that would listen to him to decide their vote- not a guy expressing his personal opinion.Please no more talk about UofF's OOC schedules, the other team in the discussion's OOC wasn't that special either. Not to knock Michigan, but my guess is that you really thought the Big 10 would put up some serious competition this year (so did I) and if so, Michigan's ticket to Glendale would be punched already instead of waiting on votes from potentially unreliable voters.

Seriously, I would obviously love UM to have a shot at the NC. However, I don't think it will happen. Here's why: If UM wins the NC game and Florida wins its bowl game...then what. Florida argues it never got its shot. OSU argues they split with UM. That's why this is a perfect playoff year. Let OSU play Louisville and UM play Florida and let the winners play for the NC.

Even as a Michigan fan, what bothers me the most is not that Michigan may or may or not get in the title game - or that there may or may not be a rematch.

What bothers me the most is that we operate under a system where poll voters who feel strongly about either Michigan or Florida getting in the game can (and probably will) drop the opposite team two or more slots down in their poll ballot to try and ensure their team gets in the game. That's just wrong.

"I look at the Ball State game and wonder the same things about Michigan. "

Anyone who thinks the Ball St game is indicative of a flawed Michigan team did not watch the game. If you did, you'd understand that Carr put in the 2nd string defense at the end of the 3rd quarter when Michigan was leading 31-12, and the 2nd string played nearly the entire 4th quarter. Quit being lazy and either watch or read about the game instead of just looking at the final score - otherwise, people may conclude that you don't know what the fuck you are talking about.

Florida vs. S. Carolina, on the other hand, came down to a blocked field goal with 8 seconds left, AT HOME - that was a piss poor showing against an unranked team at home.

"I look at the Ball State game and wonder the same things about Michigan. "

Anyone who thinks the Ball St game is indicative of a flawed Michigan team did not watch the game. If you did, you'd understand that Carr put in the 2nd string defense at the end of the 3rd quarter when Michigan was leading 31-12, and the 2nd string played nearly the entire 4th quarter. Quit being lazy and either watch or read about the game instead of just looking at the final score - otherwise, people may conclude that you don't know what the fuck you are talking about.

Florida vs. S. Carolina, on the other hand, came down to a blocked field goal with 8 seconds left, AT HOME - that was a piss poor showing against an unranked team at home.

"I can't think of one thing," senior strong safety Joe Stellmacher said. "Whoever we play, it seems just as good as any BCS game you could play in. We're not disappointed a bit."

This is not supposed to be an indictment of anyone in the Gator or Wolverine camp. Actually, it might be an indictment of Urban Creyer or Charlie Weis (so fine, one person in the Gator camp). But I'm really impressed with Wisconsin. They're ranked #6 and are not going to a BCS bowl game, but are still content with just going out there and proving their worth.

The Capital One bowl is certainly a respectable bowl game, and I wish Wisco the best of luck. It also makes us look good, but go Big Ten!

Some good points are made in all of the comments. The best comment made, repeated by others, is that UM had its shot. Um did not win their conference championship.

I am sure most of the UM fans that want UM to play OSU again bitched and moaned, like the rest of us, the year Nebraska played Miami the last time Miami won the NC. If you remember, Nebraska did not win its conference title. Or when LSU smoked OU for its split NC, OU had not won its conference title.

Although I know some people do not like the conference championship games, but right now it is the closest thing we have to a playoff. You have to win your conference to move forward. UM did not, UF did. Bottom line.

Other than Boise St., I have not seen any comments from or about that team concerning Glendale, OSU and UF are the only teams with 12 wins. There you have it, two teams with real schedules and more wins than every other team with a real schedule. Do not short change UF's defense. Could be a good game come 1.8.2007.

"The best comment made, repeated by others, is that UM had its shot. "

Michigan deserves a shot on a neutral field - they are the #2 team in the country. Period.

There is a reason that bowls are not played on the home fields of the participants (besides the $$$) - the playing field is totally even, taking away the home atmosphere that gives 1 of the teams an advantage. Without the crowd noise and the awful turf in the Shoe, Michigan may have been good for at least another 3+ points. Let's see.

I think it was great last night that ESPN had a fan poll asking who should play Ohio St. Michigan won by a slim margin, but I noticed that Ohio was a state that firmly voted for Florida - apparently Buckeye nation is a little scared to face Michigan again...

I think there should be a playoff format consisting of the top eight BCS teams. The regular season should be reduced back to 11 games, and should be finished before Thanksgiving (including league championship games). There is a bye week before the playoff, with pairings in the standard 1-vs-8, 2-vs-7, etc. format. The first two rounds are played at the higher seeded team's home stadium in late November and early December. The final rotates among the Sugar-Rose-Fiesta-Orange, and is held January 4th. All the other bowls will continue to exist and be able to select the non-qualifying teams. The non-finalist big three bowls then get to pair teams that don't make the final (as well as some at-large teams) for consolation games on January 1st or 2nd.

The advantages are: The poll controversy will be among the #7,8 and 9 teams instead of #1,2, and 3; With the first two rounds at home there will be less travel hassles for fans (and it should be fun to put Florida up in Ohio in December, etc.); The total games for the year will be 14, which is do-able; Bowl games (which have been made semi-moot by the BCS anyway) still get to have good match-ups and the "lesser" conferences would have a chance to participate. Rematches may occur, but will be relevant. Oh, and ND gets no guarantees.

Frankly, I feel TSUN has been screwed by the voters, they may even have gotten less of a deal out of the "impartial" computers than they deserve - largely because I feel the PCs do not on the whole do a great job of measuring relative strength of schedule, nor true quality of quality wins. Either of which favor TSUN in different ways.If the way this had worked out had TSUN facing up once again to the Buckeyes I would not be happy. Not out of a fear of losing. In fact, I believe strongly the Buckeyes would do better the next time round than would Michigan - even on a neutral field. (Though given the huge number of BCS Championship tickets already snapped up by Buckeye fans neutral is a severely relative term).One reason why I would not want the rematch is because of the dilution of The Game that it would impose. Candidly an opportunity to help lay to rest the assumption that the SEC is so much better than any other conference also plays into my thinking.Nonetheless, did TSUN get screwed by the polls? Yes they did.

YOu UM fans should chill!!! Danielson did for the SEC what every tom, dick, harry at ABC/ESPN does for the PAC10 and Big 10!! Why do think Herbie was so pissed...b/c the matchup they had been pimping OSU/USC got smashed, then UM got bumped by UF, so his whole "picks" were screwed. That shouldn't matter since he has picked wrong all year!! Now ya know how the Auburn Tigers felt in 2004!!!!

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